Home with the Kids

This page is a central repository for information and links to help parents cope with the unexpected situation of being home with the kids all day, every day, due to measures imposed by the Government in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Children are safe from coronavirus!

So far, with over 150,000 cases of coronavirus in the world and over 5,000 deaths, none of the deaths were of children under the age of 10.

This is very reassuring for parents!

However please do keep your children isolated from other members of society, because children are really good at spreading germs, and others such as grandparents and older members of our communities are very vulnerable to serious complications and even death from coronavirus.

Here is UNICEF’s page that is specifically for parents, about coronavirus. It explains what coronavirus is, and has advice on what to do and not do regarding children.

Explaining coronavirus to children

Our children hear us talk to each other and on the phone, and they pick up on worried voices – it’s important to reassure them. Avoid dwelling on the fact that coronavirus is fatal in some cases, and explain that children are safe, but we have to play our part in avoiding spreading it to other people – so we wash our hands and we stay away from other people for now.

IMPORTANT: Please watch any videos in full before showing them to your children, and read any articles before passing them on. You may find that some videos will be too scary for your child because they’re aimed at a higher age group. In that case, you can verbally pass on any relevant information, or only show your child certain parts of the video.

BBC’s Newsround have a page on coronavirus that features:

• A video with some tips “if you’re worried about coronavirus”
• A video with two doctors answering questions from schoolchildren about the virus
• A video from a doctor explaining what self isolation is (staying at home, and sometimes staying apart from other people in your home).
• There is also quite a bit of text on the page, aimed at older children

Advice from UNICEF about talking to children:

Tips from a counsellor at Willingness (a Maltese centre) on talking to your children about coronavirus.

Toy Like Me works to create toys that reflect physical disabilities, so that all children can have a “toy like me”. They’ve posted a story for young children to explain social distancing of the elderly, where Grandpa Rabbit explains to Little Rabbit that older rabbits are now going to have “Cosy Weeks” where they will stay at home, and Little Rabbit can’t visit – but they can still enjoy each other’s company using video chat.

Social Stories

Social stories are designed to help children with autism to understand and prepare for changes in their usual routine, but all children can benefit from them. Social stories usually use pictures, and very simple, factual language that is straight to the point.

theautismeducator.ie has a social story on what is coronavirus and why we have to stay home from school and our favourite places to go to.

Reassuring anxious children

Some children are by nature anxious, or have conditions such as ADHD that may predispose them to anxiety. These resources can help you in reassuring them. They might even help you too 😉

Tips to avoid causing children to worry

• Children can worry after overhearing conversations, and may not tell you, so try to avoid this happening.
• You may be anxious too, and that’s OK. Talking about your worries can make you feel better, but try not to do it in front of the kids.
• Ask visitors to wait until your children are out of the room before discussing coronavirus.
• If you’re outside the house, find an excuse to ask your child to go and do something nearby before discussing.
• If someone else passes a comment in front of your children that could be upsetting, for example “I heard the death rate went up again”, try to respond in a positive way, for example, “I’m really glad that we have a very good hospital here in Malta”.
• Go to another room when discussing on the phone, or switch to a different language if you can speak one that your children don’t understand.
• Don’t watch the news on the TV when your children are around – instead watch it on a computer, tablet or phone, using headphones, and try to avoid them viewing upsetting photos or videos over your shoulder.

Tips for helping children who are worried or scared

• Ask how they’re feeling, and acknowledge whatever they say. Don’t invalidate their feelings, for example by saying “You’re scared? Don’t be silly, there’s nothing to be scared about”. Instead use a response like “Situations like this can feel scary. Let’s talk about it.”
• If your child doesn’t seem to want to talk about their feelings or thoughts when you ask them directly, you could try to approach it from a different direction, for example, “My friend’s child is feeling worried about coronavirus. Why do you think that is?”, or “What advice would you give to my friend’s child who is feeling scared because of coronavirus?”.
• Think back to other times when your child went through a difficult or scary time. How did they behave then? Do you see any of those behaviours now? Children can be very good at trying to hide their worries and concerns, but that’s not good for them.
• Try to create some fun moments together, as this will reassure children that although the current situation (no school!) is not normal, it’s not the end of the world either. Have a dance party in the kitchen with silly songs, bake a cake and let your kids decorate it, play a board game, and set aside time to snuggle together while watching a film or reading a book.
• Have patience with your anxious child – some children will bring up the same subject repeatedly throughout the day if it’s on their mind, and seem to ask the same question over and over. It’s not that they didn’t understand the answer, but it’s more that they are asking for reassurance but don’t know how to put it into words. Remind them of the answer that you gave them earlier, and reassure them in whatever way works for your child – for some it might be a cuddle, or for others a funny joke to relieve the tension. Your child might need some extra attention and care during this time.
• Even if you’re worried yourself, try not to pass your worries on to your children. As the parent or caregiver, it’s important that you care for their mental health as well as their physical health, and worry can have a negative affect on children. Answer their questions in a factual way, make sure they understand about any precautions that need to be taken, such as washing hands and staying inside, but then encourage them to do things they enjoy, watch a film, read a book, and generally take their mind off things.

BBC’s Newsround also have a generic If you’re upset by the news video – it doesn’t specifically mention coronavirus because it’s intended to be used for any upsetting national or world news. It encourages talking to a trusted adult and trying to stay busy. The site also has a text article based on what’s said in the video, aimed at older children.

Activity Resources

This section includes a variety of resources to help families stuck at home.

The Quarantine Companion – this group was set up specifically to support families in Malta while schools are closed. There’s a system for tagging posts by age group, and you’ll find lots of ideas, as well as moral support from other parents in the same situation.

Malta School of Performing Arts is posting performance challenges – make a video of yourself doing the challenge, send it in, and you might get published too!

The Malta Girl Guides facebook page is sharing a new challenge every 2 days to help keep kids occupied (all ages are welcome to participate!). They’re even offering the chance to earn a limited edition quarantine badge!

The San Lawrenz Local Council has engaged two qualified teachers to produce daily 30-minute reading sessions for young children. Some sessions will be in English and others in Maltese. The sessions will take place from Monday to Saturday at 11am on the council’s facebook page, and will remain available later too – you can host a watch party with other people to watch the video “together” at the same time, and share it into facebook groups too.

Merlin Publishers have begun making their Maltese-language children’s audio books available FOR FREE! Contact them on awdjo@merlinpublishers.com

This is a great time to teach children some life skills according to their age and abilities! A Maltese mother had some great suggestions ranging from doing laundry to preparing a meal to home organisation.

Montessori Now has a big roundup of different lists of age-appropriate “practical life skills” (also known as chores) for children. Some of the lists focus on children as young as 12 to 18 months old, and some go all the way to teenagers 15+. Give it a try – you may be pleasantly surprised as to what your kids are actually capable of!

Ask your kids to think of a way to support or cheer up people who could really use a boost right now – such as elderly people who may be feeling lonely due to self-isolation, or healthcare workers who are working very hard in difficult conditions.

Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio, USA is closed to the public, but you can experience a “Home Safari” because they are hosting livestreams with the animals on facebook every day at 8pm Malta time! After the video, you can find a related activity on their website, and you can even send in your creations!

Physical Exercise

Skolasport staff are creating and posting exercise workouts and dance moves for kids and adults to try at home. Everyone (even adults!) can join in by filming themselves and posting on facebook with the hashtag #niccaqlaqiddar (I move at home).

Youtube is a great resource, just search with keywords like “kids workout”. For example, this is a 25-minute video that’s sure to get the whole family moving.

Kids not so thrilled about doing an official workout? Get them moving with some fun dance moves instead! Try searches like “zumba kids” or “just dance kids” on youtube.

If you have a games console, flip through your available games to see if there’s any that could be helpful in encouraging physical activity. Have you still got that old Wii lying around with the free game disc that came with it? (Or better yet, your copy of Wii Fit!).

Kids love obstacle courses – whether it’s a pile of cushions for a crawling baby or an elaborate course in your bitħa or on the roof, there’s lots of fun to be had! They’re also really good for helping children to develop their gross motor skills, coordination and bilateral coordination, agility, balance and spatial awareness. Fun bonus: tinkering with an obstacle course can keep kids busy for ages too!

• Links to 25 different obstacle course ideas
• Lots of ideas grouped by theme, such as string, cardboard box, hopping & jumping, strength & distance.
• Creating an obstacle course for toddlers.
• You can accomplish quite a lot with just a box of chalk and some place (the roof?) to write on, for example draw a squiggly line to walk on, circles to jump between, and use chalk to mark how high up on a wall you can jump and touch it.

Educational Resources

This section brings together some educational resources – some are for formal schooling (the sort of thing a teacher might use in class) and some for informal schooling (doing something more fun or entertaining that formal schooling usually is, but you still learn while you are doing it).

Malti Stejjer have made their Maltese apps available for free since schools are closed!

The Directorate for Learning and Assessment Programmes has created a web page with links to resources according to the Maltese curriculum. Most of the material was created by Maltese educators and students. It covers Kinder through Secondary, and has some general resources at the bottom of the page too.

Scholastic has set up a free digital learning hub, with 5 days’ worth of educational material (based on 3 hours per day), with another 15 days on the way. When using American sites like this one, bear in mind that children in their Grade 1 are the same age as our Year 2, and also since their curriculum is different, you may need to mix and match from different grades to tailor to your child. Subject areas covered include English, STEM, Science, Social Studies, and Social-Emotional Learning. The articles and activities are interesting and engaging, and don’t feel like formal learning.

OpenCulture.com is a massive repository of free stuff… Their children’s educational resources section has links to audio books, ebooks, textbooks, even a comic book series about physics! Also foreign language sessions, sites with lots of educational videos, and resources grouped by theme (Art, Geography, History & Politics (American focused), Literature, Maths, Music, Philosophy, Science, and Technology. There’s even a list of educational apps (mostly for iPhone or iPad) and youtube channels. Older students (secondary, post-secondary, even adults) will probably find a free online course that they love too, whether it’s photography or quantum chemistry.

Insufferably Intolerant Science Nerd has a simply enormous list of FREE SCIENCE STUFF. Websites, free online courses, Youtube channels, Ideas, Inspiration & Science News, Free textbooks & ebooks, scientific articles & journals, scientific search engines, Kids’ Science Experiments, Science News, Critical Thinking, Facebook pages, Documentaries & TV Shows (may not be free), Vaccines.